The Twist voted best ever single

The legendary dancefloor number heads a list of the top tunes of the last 50 years.

And, in a shock result, neither Elvis Presley nor The Beatles managed a song in the top five.

Checker is delighted the poll gave his most famous song the credit it deserves, stating, "I'm glad they've finally recognised it. Anyplace on the planet, when someone has a song that has a beat, they're on the floor dancing apart to the beat, and before Chubby Checker, it wasn't here, and I think that has a lot to do with me being on the charts."

Santana's Smooth, featuring Rob Thomas, comes in second on the list, followed by Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife, LeAnn Rimes' How Do I Live at four, and The Macarena by Los Del Rio.

The Beatles' highest entry is Hey Jude at number eight.

Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts at Billboard magazine, says, "This is simply a chronicle of how each of these songs performed in their era on the Hot 100. We're not saying these are the most memorable songs of your life. That would be something that's almost impossible to determine. Everyone has a subjective frame of reference."

There is some consolation for the Fab Four - they topped another Billboard chart, of the all-time top 100 artists. They are followed by Madonna, Elton John, Elvis Presley, and Stevie Wonder in the top five.